Extension for fire-escapes.



J.PA ULY., EXTENSION FOR FIRE ESCAPES.

APPLICATION mmmm. 1. 1915. 1,140,708. Patented May25, 1915.

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wibnassesz ALHor n ey To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JnLrus lPsu'iiry alcitii-i zen of the United Statesof America,- reenting at Los Angeles, county "ofLos hngeles' f State of California, have invented a'certain' new and useful Extension for Fire-l'flscapes; and I do herebydeclare the 'following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to makeand' use the same. I I y This invention relates toimprovements in extensions for fire escapes, and it may be said to consist in the provision of the novel and advantageous features and in thenovel' and im roved construction; arrangement, and com )ination of parts aswill' be up arent from the description and claims whic fol low hereinafter. One object of the invention'is to provide a novel and improved construction whereby in the drawings consistsof balconies 12 mounted'on th'e'outer wall 13 of the build ng.

the improvements can easily be applied to existing or standard fire escapes at 'aicom paratively small expense and' with littleor no modification ofsaid'fireescapes. p I

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction 'in which the stairs are provided with" i'votally mounted hand-rails and? is' pivotal to bars which are movably mounte on sub stantially vertical guideways, and in'which' the upper end of the 'stairs isconnected with a a counterweight, andthe upper ends of the* tairs and hand-rails have arts thereon co acting with g)uide s on said 'ars'. 1

Further o jeets of-the inventionare' to provide a novel' and improved" construction of the nature specified which' issim 'le'and economical to manufactu'r'eand inst'a'j ;-prac-- tioaland serviceable, attractivein' appear ance, oecu ice a comparatively small spaceg and is wel out of the way when not in'use, and which is strong, rigid,convenie'n't, safe and effective in use.

Other objects and the advantages of the invention will be apparent.- to those skilled in the art from a careful consideration of the followingdescription of the preferred form of the constructionembodying-the in-' vention; taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which F1 re 1 is is a broken-sectional view of a bui ding with afire escape'lia'vingthe im'-' rovements applied theieto;"- Fig. 2' isa"- ront elevational view" of: the" fire escape;- showing the extension "stairsindow'ered po'si titin;

onedf the line 11- 11 of -Fi linked they may consistof suitable" fioors or {'forms 15 having thereon para ets 16. 'able'" stairs '1? ma lead'int e usual way from an opening inea'eh' upper balcony to the next lower balcony. I

-- "cinema-nan i'gif sis? a enlargedbroken sectional viewtaken ,onthe line" i -{3 0f Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is anenlargedfis'ectionfl view of the bars and voifi the sheaves mounted view taken onthe line-8'-'8 of Fig. 1; Fig.

9 is 'an enlarged brokenside elevational View 'showin the mounting of the counterweight and ca le'; '--Fig.-:. 10 -1s" an enlarged broken sectional view-showing'the stairs latched on ideways;-and Fig.- 11 is an enlarged bro ten sectional" view taken on the 6'. The standard orrn-of fire escape shown 14: and arranged near the windows 13 or other openings. r'ovidedi'n the second and higher stories'o the building. The balconies ma be'suitably secured to the wall of the bui ding and mounted on brace bars lii'which are suitablysecured to the balconies and to the wall of' the building, and

atuit- The improvements-which can'readily be applied' to' the st'andar'dfire escape will now be'described; At one side of the lowermost or second story' balcony 12 are arranged the substantially vertical ideways 18, preterablg' consisting of c annel bars, which may e secured in position-by angle bars 19 which latter may beriveted or bolted to the guideways and to the lower balconies 12. A crossbar 20 is suitably secured to the up or part of the guideways"18,and a brace-liar 21 ma be suitabl secured to the cross-bar 20 an to the we 1 18; Vertically movable bar's22 are movably mounted-on the guideways: 18 and preferably consist of angle barsprovided with rollers 23 suitably tween the side pieces'25; 'andthe hand rails 27'- which" are pivotally' linked to the side M on the crosspiece-between the- 'bars, taken-'orr the line of Fig. 1;'Figh5'is a broken elevational view of. the bars, cross'piece; sheaves; and of pieces 25. The Side pieces 25 are connected to the lower portion of the bars 22 by links 28 which latter have one end thereof pivoted on the bars 22 and have the other end thereof pivoted on the side pieces 25 inter- .mediate of the ends of said side pieces. The links 29 preferably have one end ortion thereof offset and pivotally connecte to the side pieces 25, and have the other end portion thereof pivotally connected tothe hand rails 27; one of the links 29 on each of the hand rails being fastened to or integral with' that one of the links 28, which is adjacent thereto.- The upper end'pd'rtionfsot the side pieces 25 have thereon projections or rollers 30 which are fitted in the guideways 31.] which are provided on the bars'22, and'the upper end portions of the hand rails 27'a'reprovided with preferably hinged rojection's" The counterweight 33' is preferably fpjro vided with grooves 34' intowhic'lrextendg the vertical guides 34 and be suitably secured in position tefthewal .13

and the adjacent guideway 18. A cable 36" is suitably connected to the counterweight 33 and to the stairs 24; saidcablepreferably; passing over" sheaves 37 "m untea on thej cross-bar 20, and having branches BSeo'IL nected to eyes'39 at the sides of'the';top?por tion of the stairs 241 The branchesi38fmay" also con'tact'with sheaves 40 mounted at the ends of'the cross-bar 41 at the topof the bars 22,. whereby said branches" are; out: of the way of persons us'injgi the stairs 24in ga ing to'or from the lowermostbalcenyi12" which preferably has its parapet 16f cut away between the guideways 18; A la'tch or catch 42 may be provided on the stairs 24 and adapted to coact with a projection 43' stationary projection 43, then moving the,

stairs 24 and vertical bars 22 downwardly to have the lower rollers 23 on the bars 22 engage the stops 44. In moving the stairs" 24 downwardly the links 28 and 29 act to move the lower portion of the stairs 24 and hand rails 27 away from the bars 22, and,

the upper ends of the stairs and hand rails having projections freely fitted in the guideways 31, the stairs and hand rails are caused to extend at a convenient inclination from the lower balcon to the ground, and said links 28 and 29 ho d the stairs and hand rails rigidly in proper position for safe use. "Itwill be understood that the counterbalanced its advantageous features will be apparent extension stairs 24 may be easily moved to the raised position by first moving or lifting the counterbalanced stairs to move the projections-30 and-32 upwardly in the guideways 31 and have the links 28 and 29 act to ,move the lower portions of the stairs and handrails thereon toward the bars 22 until the'stairs and" handrails are substantially vertical, whereupon the links 28 pick up the bars'22 and both the counterbalanced stairs and bars 22' may be easily raised completely outjof the way above-the ground, and the stairsmaytheribe latched tothe stationary projection 43; Itwill be seen that when the extension stairs are lowered in position, the links 28' and29 act to move the hand rails 27 away {from the stairs to the proper position for use, and when the stairs are raised to vertical position the handrails are moved toward the. stairs so that the stairs and hand-rails lie-close together and thus occupy a smallsp'aceb f Fromthe foregoing the construction and to those skilledinthe art, and it will be seen thattheconstruetiondswell adapted to accompli'sh' I the 1 obj ects' of the invention.

The construction which has been particularly illustrated and described admits of minor i i changes 1 "and modifications-wherefore the right is reserved to all such changes and modifications as-do not departfrom the spirit and' scope -offthe-invention which is defined in 'theapp'ended claims.

"11, A fire escape including a balcony, subst'antially; vertical bars movably mounted adjacent "to'thebalcony and provided with guideways, counterbalanced stairs provided with hand rails, projecting parts on the upper end portions of the stairs and hand rails fitted freely in said guideways, and links pivotally connected to said bars and to the stairs and hand rails, said links causing the stairs and hand rails to swing away from said bars when the stairs are lowered in position, and causing the stairs and hand rails to swing toward said bars when the stairs are raised in position.

2. A fire escape including balconies, substantially vertical guideways arranged adj acent thereto, substantially vertical bars movably mounted on the guideways, counterbalanced stairs provided with hand rails, guideways on the bars, projecting parts on the stairs. and on the hand rails fitted freely in the last-mentioned guide ways, and links pivotally connected to the lower end portions of the bars and to the stairs and hand rails, said links causing the 12 stairs and the hand rails to swing away from the bars when the stairsa-re'lower'ed in position, and causing the stairs and the hand rails to'swing toward said bars when the stairs are raised in position. a

' rails, guideways' on said vertical bars, pro- .jecting parts on the stairs and on the hand rails fitted freely in the last mentioned guideways, acable connected to the counterweight and having branches in contact with said sheaves and connected to the top of said stairs at the sides of the stairs, and links pivotally connected to the lower end portions 'of'-the vertical bars and to the stairs and hand rails, said links causing the stairs and the hand rails to swing away from the vertical bars when the stairs are lowered in position, and causing the stairs and the hand rails to swing toward said vertical bars when the stairs are raised in a position.

4. A- fire escape including a balcony, substantially vertical guideways arranged adjacent thereto, stops at'the lower ends of substantially vertical bars provided with rollers fitted in the guideways and adapted to engage said stops to limit the downward movement of said vertical bars, counter balanced stairs, hand rails, links having one end portion thereof ofiset and pivoted onthe stairs and having the other end portion thereof pivoted on the hand rails, guideways on said vertical bars, projecting parts on the upperends of the stairs and the hand rails fitted freely in the last mentioned guideways, and links pivotally connected to said vertical bars and to the stairs and hand rails, and causing the stairs and the hand rails to swing away from the vertical bars when the stairs are lowered in position and causing the stairs and the hand rails to swing toward said vertical bars when the stairs are raised in position.

5. A fire escape including a balcony, substantially vertical guideways arranged adjacent thereto, stops at the lower ends of said guideways, substantially vertical bars provided with rollers fitted in said guideways and adapted toengage said stops to limit the downward movement of said vertical bars, a cross bar at the upper endof said vertical bars, sheaves mounted at the ends of said cross bar, acounterweight, stairs, handrails, links having one end por tion thereof offset and pivoted on the stairs and having the other end portion thereof pivoted on the hand rails, guideways on said vertical bars, projecting parts on the upper ends of the stairs and the hand rails'fitted freely in the last mentioned guideways, a cable connected to the counterweight and having branches in contact with said sheaves and connected to the top of said stairs at the sides of the stairs, and links pivotally connected to the lower end portions of said vertical bars and to the stairs and hand rails, and causing the stairs and the hand rails to swing away from said vertical bars when the stairs'are lowered in'position and causing the stairs and the hand rails to swing toward said vertical bars when the stairs are raised in position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to the specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, 7

this 20th day of February A.,D. 1915.

JULIUS PAULY.

Witnesses:

A. H. Lmnnns, FLORENCE E. LEA. 

